ATKINS — The Red Devils were 21-point underdogs when the defending Class AAA state champion Charleston Tigers visited Lemley Field on Friday night.

Really? That and many other prognosticators who picked fifth-ranked Charleston over Atkins must have fired the Red Devils up.

It definitely fired up Ty Ennis, who accounted for 414 yards of total offense. It must have fired up sophomore Alex Spradlin, who caught two of Ennis’ four touchdown passes and came up with two key interceptions that preserved a 32-29 conference victory by Atkins over the Tigers.

To say the Red Devils (5-0, 3-0 3A-4 Conference) started the game on fire was an understatement. Ennis hooked up with Coty Hegeman, and 74 yards later Atkins had a touchdown. Dylan Isom’s point-after kick was blocked, but the Red Devils led 6-0 early in the first quarter.

Hegeman capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown carry across the goal line, and Atkins led 12-0 with 3:15 to go in the opening quarter after the incomplete 2-point conversion pass. The score was set up by Charleston’s first turnover — a Ty Storey pass intercepted in the end zone by Matt Collins.

The Tigers (4-2, 2-1) were forced to punt again, and the Red Devils cashed in again. They started on their 25, then Ennis hit Spradlin on a bubble screen, and the sophomore was in the end zone 45 yards later. Charleston blocked its second PAT, but Atkins led 18-0 with 11:25 to go in the second quarter.

Suddenly, the Red Devils recovered the ensuing kickoff, when senior Steven Cruickshank recognized the ball went 10 yards and pounced on it. Ennis scampered 29 yards to the Tigers 19. Malachi McDaniel caught a first-down pass from Ennis at the 9, but Ennis was sacked for a 10-yard loss.

No problem. Ennis completed his third TD pass to Spradlin, his second. Isom hit the PAT, and Atkins led 25-0 with 8:27 remaining in the first half.

Charleston — which defeated Clarksville 40-20 on Week 1 and Danville 55-24 on Week 4 — finally got on the scoreboard when Storey completed a third-down screen pass to Josh Moore. Guido Arroyo’s PAT made it 25-7 with 5:53 to go in the second quarter.

The Red Devils weren’t finished. Ennis connected with Jacob Chism on a 17-yard scoring strike, and Isom’s PAT set the halftime score at 32-7.

Thus, the tale of two halves begins.

Charleston came out of the locker room at the break, scored 22 unanswered points and got to the Atkins 36 with 11 seconds to go in the game, before Spradlin came up with his second interception and stopped the Tigers dead in their tracks.

The Red Devils nearly intercepted Storey twice on Charleston’s first possession of the third quarter, but Storey’s second TD pass made it 32-13 with 4:26 left in the quarter. After forcing Atkins to punt, the Tigers started at their 49 and were in the end zone two pass plays later. Storey then walked into the end zone for the 2-point conversion, and the Red Devils faithful started getting nervous, 32-21, with 1:57 to go still in the third.

Atkins missed a golden opportunity when Hegeman got behind Charleston’s defenders and was wide open, but he dropped Ennis’ pass 5 yards short of the goal line. The Tigers made the Devils punt, and started the fourth quarter with the ball.

Charleston survived two fourth-down conversions when Storey threw his fourth TD pass, this one from 15 yards out. Storey scored the 2-point conversion again, and the Tigers were within 32-29 with 10:11 left in the game.

The Devils punted again, but this time they put Charleston at its own 27. After an Alex Duvall sack, the Tigers were forced to punt. But Atkins turned the ball over on downs on its next possession.

Charleston was flagged for an illegal forward pass, when Storey threw out of bounds to avoid a sack. He was sacked a play later by Wendel Johnston, and the drive ended when the Red Devils intercepted Storey for the third time with 2:39 to go in the game.

However, Ennis was stopped short on 4th-and-3 inside the Tigers 15, and Charleston regained possession with 1:21 on the clock. The Tigers converted a 4th-and-3 to their 35. Then Storey hit Shelby on a big pass reception to the Atkins 36.

Storey spiked the ball to stop the clock with :11 left, but his next pass was intercepted by Spradlin.

Ennis completed 19-of-34 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed 18 times for 114 yards. Spradlin had four receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Hegeman had a 2-yard rushing touchdown and a 74-yard catch for another TD. Atkins suffered no turnovers.

The Red Devils travel to Mansfield next week.

Danville 23, Mansfield 13

MANSFIELD — Dakota Long rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Danville Little Johns got their first win of the season, 23-13, on the road Friday night.

Long got Danville (1-4, 1-1 3A-4 Conference) on the scoreboard first with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Alex Xayadeth, and the Little Johns led 6-0 after the snap was fumbled on the point-after kick attempt. Long kept for a 2-yard touchdown with :53 to go in the first, and Kevin Dominguez booted the PAT for a 13-0 lead.

Long scored on a 19-yard run with 7:05 left in the first half. The Little Johns led 20-0 after the Dominguez PAT.

The Little Johns scored their last points on the last play of the first half, a 33-yard field goal by Dominguez, that set the halftime score at 23-7.

Mansfield (2-4, 0-3) scored on a 65-yard run by quarterback David Ellis with 6:54 to go in the second quarter.

The Tigers made it 23-13 with 11:55 to go in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Jesse Cotner. The 2-point conversion attempt was no good.

Long finished the game with 25 carries for 140 yards and a pair of TDs. He was 11-of-18 passing for 73 yards and a touchdown. Danville will host Lavaca for Homecoming next week.